


Snowed In

by twobeautifulghosts



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:41:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24568657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twobeautifulghosts/pseuds/twobeautifulghosts
Summary: After a double date that goes horribly wrong, Jake and Amy are on the brink of swearing off romance forever, until, by happy coincidence or some magical twist of fate, they end up locked in together in the middle of a snowstorm...
Relationships: Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago
Comments: 17
Kudos: 62





	Snowed In

Going on a double date had been Gina's idea. That should have been a big red flag right there. Gina worked in mysterious ways, and her motives never revealed themselves until the last moment. However, she wasn't someone Jake could ever say no to, so he let her talk him into it. Amy would be there, Gina had informed him, on a date of her own with a guy named Teddy, while he had been set up with one of Gina's dance group friends. Amy was to pick him up, and they would head over to an Italian diner together to meet their dates. Though it wasn't how he would typically spend a Friday night, Jake figured he could do with a night out. _He was young, he was single, there was no harm in letting his guard down and having some fun, right?_

Wrong. 

"I'm never going on a double date again." Amy declared, swallowing the guilt that clawed at her insides as she recalled how... eventful the night had been.

She had been a bundle of nerves, the result of not having gone on a date in almost a year. In an effort to ease her anxiety, she had knocked back one too many glasses of wine and had started flirting like crazy. _With the wrong guy_. Teddy had sat, slack-jawed and uncomfortable, across the table from Amy as she made increasingly suggestive advances on Jake. He was no better, matching her every one liner with an inappropriate comment of his own. Neither even realized what they were doing until their dates started calling them out on it. A lot of dramatic yelling had ensued. Jake's date, Laura, didn't take kindly to his suggestion that she star in ' _Keeping Up with the Kardashians_ ', and stormed out. Teddy, who was more confused than upset, had left soon after.

"Everyone has dates that go horribly wrong Santiago. At least your's stayed long enough to help pay the bill." Jake's words pulled her out of her reverie. 

They were now standing outside the restaurant, huddled for warmth under the dim glow of a street lamp. The late November air sent chills through their bodies. Jake glanced up at the light, frosted flakes that had begun to fall, and caught one on his tongue. 

Amy mumbled a reply, not feeling any less at fault. The wind picked up, covering her arms in goosebumps. She made a mental note to not be careless enough to forget her jacket; especially when she was wearing a sleeveless dress.

"Hey, you're freezing. Didn't you bring a coat?" Jake asked, touching her arm delicately, his fingers sending a shiver down her spine. 

"I think I left it at your place when I came to pick you up,"

"Alright then, we'll just go pick it up. No biggie."

********************

Even after the pit stop they made to get some cheesecake, the drive back to Jake's place took longer than they anticipated. It was snowing harder than ever. A heavy downpour of sleet battered relentlessly against the windshield. A friendly radio announcement informed them of the oncoming blizzard, as if anyone who glanced out of their windows would miss it. 

Jake's apartment was smaller than Amy's. He had _tried_ clearing up a little for her earlier, but he would never admit it. While it wasn't anywhere near as organized as her own, Amy found his slightly mismatched interior design charming. All around her were vibrant bursts of his personality; in posters and stickers and knick-knacks on shelves and brightly coloured knobs and obscure cushion covers. Every square inch of the home screamed ' _Jake_ '. She sat on the once-plush-but-now-steadily-sinking couch and looked up at him. 

He fished her jacket out from behind the coffee table. Handing it back to her, he had just opened his mouth to say something when a small fluffy hurricane jumped up from the rug and into Amy's lap.

"Mango?!" She squealed, scooping up the little kitten and cuddling it close to her chest. "What's he doing here?!"

"I'm watching him for Terry while he's on vacation, it's been the best week of my life," Jake gushed. "We're homies now!"

It had been about three weeks since Terry had introduced them to the newest member of the squad: a small ragdoll cat, unofficialy adopted by the precinct. Everyone had instantly fallen in love with the little creature. Barely any work had gotten done at that day, but no one minded. Amy smiled at the memory of how he was christened with the name of Terry's favourite yogurt flavour: Jake standing on his desk, reenacting The Lion King with Charles (badly) singing the Circle of Life in the background was an image she couldn't, and frankly didn’t want to, get out of her head.

She glanced up at the sound of Jake's TV being switched on. The local weatherman didn't seem too optimistic about the snow stopping any time soon, and advised everyone to stay at home. 

"At least you'll have good company while you're stuck in here during the blizzard," Amy said wistfully, gesturing at the cat. She didn't mention how much she'd rather keep the little fluff ball at her house instead.

"Oh about that, uh.. I think you're stuck here with us too...." Jake pointed to the headlines flashing across the screen. The mayor had ordered everyone to stay indoors for the weekend, due to excessive build up of snow.

"I don't think there are any cabs that will agree to drive in this storm," Jake's brows creased together as he switched to a different news channel. "It looks bad, Amy. I can drive you home if you want but I honestly think you should stay here tonight."

"Are you sure?" Amy didn't want to be a burden. She didn't realize that Jake would never see her as anything even remotely close to a burden. He wouldn't admit it, but he was secretly hoping she'd stay.

"Yeah. Of course."

He settled down next to her on the shaggy rug and flipped through the channels, trying to ignore the way his body buzzed at the close proximity. Amy had completely forgotten about her horrendous date. She was practically a giant heart-eyes-emoji at this point, Mango had stolen her heart and she had offered it up gladly. She caressed the sweet creature who had made himself at home on her lap, listening to him purr softly as he drifted off to sleep. 

They sat on the floor, leaning back against the couch and eating the cheesecake they had picked up on the way home. Jake was only half paying attention to the Harry Potter movie he had put on for them. He preferred to watch Amy, as she mouthed the character's dialogues under her breath, word for word, with facial expressions to match. Every time he thought she had reached Maximum Nerd Level she would surprise him and do something _even_ nerdier. Dork. She caught him staring and stuck her tongue out.

He sat with her long enough to watch Hermione's polyjuice potion go horribly wrong, turning her into not-the-cutest cat-human hybrid. "That’s what happens when you don't eat your vegetables," Amy whispered to Mango, pointing at the screen. Jake snorted. Stretching, he rose to his feet and started making his way towards the only bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Amy turned her attention towards him. 

"I'm just gonna go get the bedroom fixed up a little for you. Fresh sheets and all that."

"I can just take the couch Jake; don't bother with all that." Already crashing his apartment for the weekend, she didn't think it was fair to kick him out of his own bed as well. 

"No way. You're taking the bed. That's final. Mango and I will be fine out here." 

After several rounds of ' _are you sure_ 's and _'I don’t mind_ 's’ and ' _no really_ 's’, the room was fitted with new sheets and fresh pillowcases for Amy. Jake set a glass of water on the bedside table along with a random and rather disgusting pillow mint he found wedged behind the headboard. 

He walked into the living room to find Amy curled up on the couch, dozing off with Mango nestled in her arms. She stifled a yawn as she saw him approaching. Endeared by her sleepy state, he held his arm out to her as she sat up.

"Come on kiddo. Its sleepy time."

"Its only midnight," she whined. 

"Santiago you're half asleep. Plus your bedtime is probably like 9 pm," he shook his head slightly, smiling. 

"That's not true! Its _09:30_!! 10 on the weekends" she reasoned.

"Wow you really live on the edge huh? What's next, waking up at noon?"

"Shut up." She slapped his arm lightly before allowing him to pull her to her feet and lead her to his tiny bedroom. 

Fifteen minutes later Amy was happily tucked in under the covers. Jake had brought her PJs (they were his sister, Kate's) and a spare toothbrush. He was perched on the edge of the twin sized bed, looking over at her. Taking her in. How her face was now glowy and makeup free. How her tired eyelids fluttered and her words didn’t make much sense in her fuzzy state of mind. How her hair, spread out on the pillow case, formed a halo around her head. ' _She deserves some angel wings to match_ ' thought Jake. Amy was a lot of things: she was smart, and brave, and funny, and a good detective. She was eager and empathetic and a stubborn know-it-all and honestly just an _angel_ if Jake had ever met one. Maybe it was the way she cuddled Mango as she drifted off to sleep, or maybe it was just the lateness of the hour that prompted such a sudden rush of affection for Amy. He squeezed her calf over the blanket and bade her and the kitten goodnight; before heading over to the couch and drifting off himself. 

********************

Jake awoke to the sweet aroma of pancakes wafting into his living room. He checked the time on his phone: 9 am. He could hear the quiet sizzling of a hot pan as he untangled himself from his blanket. Walking into the kitchen, he was met with the sight of Amy surrounded by plates stacked with pancakes and omelettes and mountains of fruit slices. Even though she was a notoriously crappy cook, Jake's heart swelled at her efforts.

"Morning,"

"Hey," she turned around to face him, "ready to eat?" 

"Sure am. You know you didn't have to make us all this, right? I should be making _you_ breakfast."

"Your idea of breakfast is M&Ms in a bowl of chocolate milk, Jake. And I'd rather not get diabetes before 10 in the morning," she deadpanned.

"Hey! It's good cereal." He argued, gratefully accepting the plate of warm chocolate chip pancakes she handed him. 

Aside from accidentally using sugar instead of salt in the omelettes, Amy had done a fairly good job of making breakfast. Jake put on a playlist of his favourite songs and they danced around the kitchen as they cleared the dishes, using spoons as microphones and mocking each other's singing. Their enthusiasm caused more than a few breakfast crumbs to fall on the floor, much to Mango's delight.

The snow had finally relented by mid morning. But the area was still blanketed by several feet of fresh powder. That, along with the slippery ice on the roads, ensured them the weekend locked in.

Their morning was a blur of anti-boredom activities. They ruled out baking after Jake pointed out that no fire engine would be able to reach them if the house caught ablaze (which was bound to happen with both of them being disaster cooks). Amy then compulsively rearranged his DVD cabinet, colour-coded his stationary and sorted out his board games drawer. A surprisingly competitive Scrabble game ensued: ( _"Zorp is NOT a word Jake", "Oh really? Why did it just win me 32 points?", "You suck.", "Love you too, Santiago!"_ ) 

********************

"No seriously! This is adorable. I'm _so_ taking pictures to show Rosa and Charles!" 

"Oh god please don't. " Jake tried to prise the dusty book from her hands, but she waved it out of his reach. 

They were sitting on Jake's couch and sipping on juice boxes as they flipped through an old photo album Amy had found. She cooed over pictures of him as a child, with his pink cheeks and over-sized glasses. Quickly taking a snapshot of a 6 year old Jake, she texted it to the Nine-Nine group chat and smirked.

"You're making it very hard to preserve whatever dignity I have left, Santiago." He mumbled with his head in his hands.

"Don't worry, you've done way more embarrassing things than smile toothlessly at a camera," she assured him.

Amy rose from her spot on the sofa and headed over to the kitchen. "Hey can I borrow a towel? I wanted to take a bath," she asked. Throwing her empty juice box in the bin, she turned around to see him walk in beside her.

"Sure. I'll get you some clean clothes too."

"Great. Thanks,"

"One condition though: _absolutely_ no singing in the shower, you sound like a walrus with a thyroid problem." 

"Can't make any promises, I'm a great singer and your shower knows it." she winked. He just shook his head.

"I'll make us lunch in the meantime. And by 'lunch' I mean grilled cheese, it's like the only thing I can decently cook." 

"Sounds good." 

She took the towel from Jake and walked into the bathroom, belting out the words to a Rihanna song just to mess with him. Turning on the faucet, she wondered how Jake's organs ever put up with his food choices.

Sinking into the tub, she rested her head back; the warm water a welcome relief from the bitter winter chill. Her eyes lazily followed curls of steam up the tiled walls, as they fogged up the mirror. Breathing a contented sigh, she allowed her body to enter into a state of much-needed relaxation. 

********************

Jake padded around the kitchen, humming to himself as he worked. Pausing only to feed Mango a bit of cheese, he had soon prepared them warm toasties with some chopped apple on the side. You know, as garnish. 

"Hey sorry I took so long, I was drying my hair,"

He glanced up at the sound of Amy's voice and did a double take. She was dressed in his baggy sweatpants; the soft, cream-coloured fabric of his hoodie hanging loosely around her torso. She looked the epitome of the I-stole-my-boyfriends-clothes cliché. She smiled at him, eyes wide and coffee brown. Her hair wasn't in the sleek and shiny bun she regularly sported at work, falling instead in dark fluffy waves a little past her shoulders. She looked so _comfy_. It took all of his willpower to fight the unexplainable urge to pull her into a long hug. 

"I hope it's alright that I used your shampoo... " Her words interrupted his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh.. its cool. At least now I know your stinky hair won't mess up my thrifted pillow cases. They're vintage." Jake wasn't even sure why he said that, it's not like it was true, Amy's hair was always immaculate. For some reason, teasing her was second nature to him. 

"You're in **no** position to talk Peralta, considering 90% of the time you have old food in your hair. And mine smells fantastic right now, by the way," she tried to recall the sweet aroma, "like- "

"-Fig and honey?"

"That’s it!"

"I started using that particular scent after I read online that Taylor Swift uses it."

"Is that even true?"

"Probably not, considering the bottle costs like 2 dollars, but at this point I'm too emotionally attached to stop." He set the plate down in front of her. "Just last week, I tried to throw away a used container of this stuff but I started crying like 15 minutes later. So now I just store the empty ones in the cabinet under the sink."

Biting into her grilled cheese, Amy simply quirked her eyebrow and said, "You, my friend, have major attachment problems.”

"Its a result of the wacky childhood. _Come for the fantastic-smelling hair, stay for the daddy issues!"_ He winked as he set his own plate down across from her. 

She rolled her eyes and smiled, taking another bite. She'd handle his daddy issues any day if it meant she could get more of his grilled cheese sandwiches. They were divine. She wasn't entirely sure why he was eating his with bits of apple though, but she decided not to ask. 

********************

Soon they were settled on the couch again. This time with more blankets and hot chocolate, and 'Die Hard With A Vengeance' playing on BluRay. Mango rubbed himself against their tangled legs, before stalking off to the bedroom to play with Amy’s shoes. Leaning into Jake’s side, Amy rested her head on his shoulder, convincing herself it was just because he was warm. No other reasons. He was just a human heater. A very soft, cuddly human heater who smelled like honey.

"Santiago look this is the best part!" Jake said for probably the eighth time since he put on the movie. She didn't reply. "Amy?"

He glanced down at her tiny frame, now snoring softly in his arms. Her small hands still wrapped around her mug, even though the warmth it provided was long gone. The corners of his lips tugged upwards. He reached forward and set their empty cups down on the coffee table, careful not to wake the sleeping girl. Her weight pressed on top of his chest, not allowing him much movement without disturbing her peaceful slumber. That was fine, he didn't really want to move anyway. Switching the TV off, he leaned in to her and allowed his eyes to slowly drift shut. The quiet afternoon lull and the feeling of her warm body cuddled up in his arms had Jake fast asleep in no time.

********************

The kitten clawed it's way up the corner of Jake's curtain, like it was chasing a squirrel up a tree. Dissatisfied with the lack of activity, it sprang onto the sofa, where the only other living beings in the house lay blissfully in each other's arms. 

"Hmmph.." Amy stirred awake, feeling a small paw pressed up against her cheek "Mango- " she gently shoved the cat off of her. Still a little disoriented, she blinked as the world swam into focus. 

Through the window, the cloudless sky was a deep indigo, the colour of watered ink. The sun had set long ago, casting the room into a blue glow. How long had she been asleep? She hadn't even noticed the figure next to her until it started rubbing its eyes as it awoke. A wave of embarrassment washed over Amy as she realized what had happened. Untangling her limbs from his, she tried to downplay the awkwardness by speaking first.

"Hey, we've been out for a while. Its pretty late." she said, voice low.

Jake hummed in response, decidedly perkier since their nap. "You're lucky I got any sleep at all Santiago, _YA SNORE_."

" _I do not_." she hissed. The idea of him watching her sleep didn't help the butterflies zooming around her tummy. 

"Do too."

"Whatever. I need to pee." _Unnecessary announcement Amy. Get it together._ She thought as she walked into the bathroom.

After freshening up and mentally kicking herself for being so weird and vulnerable around Jake, ( _like seriously Amy? You fell asleep on the guy?_ ) she gave herself a pep talk and went back out.

Jake was checking his laptop. His slight frown and the focused way his eyes were glued to the screen only confirmed Amy’s suspicions as to what he was doing. “Any updates?” she asked.

“Holt’s worried. The operation is way larger than we first thought. There’s no new evidence, but apparently an ex drug lord has information on one of our main suspects. I don’t know how reliable he is though,”

“Its the only new lead we’ve had in weeks. If we don’t crack this soon we might have to call in a task force.”

“Or hand the case over to the Vulture.” Jake shuddered at the thought. He relayed the contents of the Captain’s email to Amy: “Rosa and Charles are locked in at the precinct, they’re working on it right now,”

“That’s not so bad then,” Amy said slowly. She sat on the edge of Jake’s bed and tried to work through the mystery. After brainstorming, cross examining, opening up old cases, and narrowing down suspects, they sent their theories to Captain Holt.

Hours later, exhausted and hungry, Jake suggested to a reluctant Amy that they give it a break. They settled under the covers with a gigantic hoard of snacks and leftovers as dinner, and put on a romantic comedy. It was one of those predictably cliché films that Jake knew Amy secretly loved. And he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a sucker for happy endings.

"Do you believe in soulmates?" Amy broke the silence. It was a cheesy question, but she was genuinely interested in his answer.

"I don't know really. I guess I believe that there are some people you're destined to have in your life- maybe they're your best friends, or your lover, or chosen family..." Jake said slowly. The ninety-ninth precinct was like that for him. He couldn't imagine his life with them, he'd be so incredibly lost. "And if you're lucky enough, you meet someone who's all of those things."

"I've always liked the idea being best friends with the person you marry," Amy tucked a few stray strands of hair behind both her ears before continuing, "truly knowing someone is so important if you want to love them right.

"Whoever wins your heart is gonna be so lucky Ames." He thought out loud.

"You think?" 

"Yeah! You're like auto-correct but for _life_." He said, making her giggle. Her insecurities slowly vanishing as she focused back on the scene in front of them. The love interest had just dashed through the airport, escaped security and run onboard the flight that was ready to leave and take her lover away. The actress cleared her throat and dove into a passionate proclamation of her feelings for the guy. Feelings he claimed he felt too. The other passengers cheered. Time came to a halt as the camera panned around them; music playing in the background as they kissed. _If only it were that easy._

"What do you look for in a partner?" Amy asked after a few minutes.

"When you say 'partner' I imagine cowboys," he laughed. "I think I'd just be lucky to find someone who's willing to watch Die Hard all the time."

She nudged his arm. "I'm being serious, Jake."

He glanced at her, her mouth was curved upwards in this adorable half-smile. Her eyes danced, luminescent with something more than the flickering gleam of the screen.

"Someone who makes me better, I guess. Someone I can love and trust and make fun of. Someone with shiny hair and a nice heart. Someone who inspires me," ' _someone like you_ ' he thought, eyes widening momentarily as realization hit. It crashed over him like a wave. The tide pulling him under and drowning him. Surging through his body, filling his lungs until he couldn't breathe. Until the only thought left in his brain was her name. _Amy_.

She didn't notice. Of course not. Satisfied with his answer, she had turned her head back to the screen. So that's what he did too. The dialogues floated over his head and meaninglessly filled his ears as he tried to make sense of the world. It would be a lot easier if he could ask Amy what to do. But she was kind of the problem. Curled up, half asleep, munching on his dorito stash, he realized he was in love with her and that was the problem.

_She doesn’t date other cops. We’re just friends. She doesn’t like me like that._

They filled the void with easy conversation, falling silent as the minutes dragged on and credits begin rolling on the screen. Amy sighed contentedly and sank deeper under the covers, her eyes drifting shut.

Jake stayed longer than he needed to. He brushed the crumbs off the bed. Cleared up the wrappers. Spent several minutes too long brushing his teeth. Grasping at any excuse to spend more time in the same room as her, even when she was asleep. When the digital alarm clock on his bedside showed a little past one in the morning he realized he couldn't stay much longer. _Shouldn't_ stay.

"Goodnight Amy," he whispered with a sad smile. His mind was an incoherent mess. Every cell in his brain was screaming at him to wake her up. To tell her how he felt. To tell her over and over again how he saw her, as his best friend, as his partner, as his crush, as a genius, as a goddess bathed in love and light and grace. How she made him want to learn things from her, with her, about her, and about himself too. _He had certainly learned a lot tonight._ But he didn't utter a word. He didn't wake her, even as the thoughts racing through his brain suggested otherwise. She looked warm and cozy and peaceful. They were friends and she was wine-drunk and she was _Amy_ and he was just Jake and he believed she deserved better. 

He took a deep breath and, after a moment's hesitation, allowed himself one selfish kiss to her forehead. He began to tip-toe out of the room, only for a tiny voice to stop him in his tracks.

"Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you sleep in here tonight?"

********************

"Hey. Are you cooking breakfast?" She walked up behind him and briefly rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Yup. My goal, is to make us something edible."

"Smort."

He smiled at her usage of what was, in his opinion, the greatest word ever (not) invented. She disappeared to brush her teeth, leaving him to the kitchen.

Okay. This was fine. It was as if last night never happened. Jake could just pretend like nothing had changed. Like they were still colleagues and friends and nothing more. He decided he wouldn't mention anything about how the slept, curled up together, under his covers with his lips pressed to her forehead and her arms around his waist. Unless she said something first. Which she wouldn't, because she, unlike him, was not pretending. He shook his head, as if his thoughts were cobwebs clouding his brain.

Jake finished up with the pancakes, serving himself the burnt ones while leaving the slightly nicer ones for Amy.

Just as he began squirting some maple syrup onto his plate, Mango jumped up on the counter; startling him into squeezing out the contents of the bottle onto his front. Amy reappeared at the kitchen door, alarmed at the commotion.

Mango hissed loudly at Jake, who's shirt was covered in syrup. Golden drops fell to the floor, creating a sticky mess.

"Oh you don't want to mess with me cat-boy I'm like 30% maple syrup and 170% pure rage right now!" He whisper-shouted at the feline.

“Jake that’s 200%…”

“Exactly. I’m _twice_ the man he’ll ever be!” he gestured angrily back at Mango.

Amy cracked up at the sight of him in his maple syrup-covered pajamas, being yelled at by a cat. He frowned at her as she failed to stifle a laugh. Now was not the best time to make fun of him but she wouldn't be Amy if she didn't.

A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes. "Want a hug Santiago?" He called as he went over to her, arms open wide. His footsteps sped up into a run, which soon turned into a playful chase trying to get Amy covered in syrup. 

She backed out of the kitchen, laughing. "Hell no! Don't you dare come anywhere near me Peralta."

"What, no cuddles now?" Jake teased as he caught up with her, showing no signs of backing down. 

" _Ohmygodgetawayfromme_!" she shrieked as she dove behind the coffee table. 

"What about a piggy back ride?" He threw his arms around her shoulders, leaving her sleeves sticky with syrup.

"Nooooo stop!" she giggled at his antics, losing her balance as tried to push his hands off. They stumbled and fell backwards onto the couch in sweet sticky heap, their faces mere inches apart.

They didn't move even as the laughter died down. Instead, Jake brought his face a little closer to her's. Close enough for Amy to notice the tiny specks of gold in his irises. She admired the way the light hit his eyes, illuminating them with a warm honeyed glow. He was joy. Bright sunshine. Soft curls and that damned dimpled smile. _Oh no_. She didn't even realize how fast she had fallen for him. Maybe she did. Maybe she had just denied it and denied it. But she couldn't anymore. Not when he was tenderly brushing her hair out of her face. Not when he let his hand rest on her cheek, thumb grazing over her bottom lip. Not when his nose was almost touching hers. Closing her eyes, she leaned in-

The startlingly obnoxious sound of the Macerena made them spring apart. Jake's phone rang loudly through the living room as he jumped up to answer it, hurriedly wiping his sticky hands on his pajamas. Amy stared at the floor, flustered and bright red. She looked up at the sound of his voice, now serious.

"Its Holt. We need to run."

"On it."

They avoided looking at each other as they quickly cleaned themselves up. In less then five minutes, they were at the door, completely dressed and maple syrup free. As Amy grabbed her purse off the floor, a shiny file fell out of the open zipper. Jake paused before picking up the blue binder and turning to Amy incredulously. 

" _You had brought a binder with you_?? On a _date?!_ " He tried to control his laughter, "how did it even fit in your purse, that thing is tiny,"

"That's my emotional support binder..." she mumbled.

"You realize you'll never hear the end of this from me, right?" 

"There's a drug bust going on right now, Jake." She reminded him.

"Right. No doubt no doubt no doubt no doubt. Let's go."

********************

Jake was back at the precinct. He and Amy had raced over to the location that Holt had sent them. They had caught their perp as well as his sleazy cronies red-handed after a long and grueling case. He should have been over the moon. Instead he barely noticed the squad as they congratulated him, tuning in to the conversation long enough to turn down an invite to Shaw's bar for drinks and celebrations. He only wanted to talk to one person right now and she was nowhere to be seen. Desperate to escape the chaos, he went to the roof, hoping to clear his head. Instead he found Amy with her back to him, looking over the railing.

"Hey,"

She whipped around, caught off guard. The cold wind blew her hair in thin strips across her face. She pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders and gave him a small smile, one that he noticed didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Hi,"

"Great work tonight." He said even though he didn't give a damn about work. All that existed in this moment was him and Amy and the rusty railing against which they leaned. "Um. About earlier-"

"-your ringtone is the Macerena?" She blurted out. 

"I was hoping you'd forgotten about that." He laughed nervously. "It's a long story; a very enlightening conversation for..... maybe never."

She cracked a smile, setting his heart at ease. He took a few steps towards her.

"Amy..." he wasn't entirely sure what to say. Or how to say it. 

So he did the only thing that made sense, and kissed her. His slightly chapped lips brushed against her soft ones for only a moment before he pulled back, "Shit. I'm so sorry, um.. a-are you okay with... are you sure you want to-" he opened his eyes to her wrapping her arms around his neck. Fingers curled in his hair.

Touching her forehead to his, she whispered, "Just kiss me, fool."

So that's what he did. 

He wasn't sure how long it had been before they finally pulled apart. Minutes, days, whole lifetimes could have passed. He didn't care. If he only had moments left to live, he would want to spend them kissing her, knowing he would happily accept her's being the last face he saw, her's being the last heart that touched his own. He could only hope she felt the same.

"What are you thinking?" Jake asked softly.

"I- I'm honestly kind of speechless," she blushed, fiddling with his collar.

"If I had known the secret to getting you to shut up was kissing you Santiago, I would have done it _ages_ ago."

She shoved his shoulder, giggling like a little kid. "I don't talk that much! Not more than you anyway." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Honestly I just love hearing your voice. And you're so smart Amy, sometimes I find myself talking more around you just to hear you talk back," his said sincerely. 

"I'm okay with that! I like talking to you. You're such a good listener Jake, " 'and _an even better kisser_ ' she finished the thought in her head. 

He cleared his throat before nervously asking, "Do you think we could, um, maybe go out to dinner sometime? Romantic Stylez? We could do some more of that talking..." Maybe more than just talking.

"Hmm..." her tone turned playful, "well, what's it like going on a date with Jake Peralta?"

"Pretty goddamn exceptional if I'm being honest, of course I can't promise that there'll be no judgy cats, exploding jars of maple syrup, or any sudden dangerous case-related interruptions." She quirked her brow, waiting for him to continue. "But if it makes you feel better, you can bring your binder! No shame. We'll even get it a seat at the table and a glass of champagne. What do you say?"

"Sounds like a date." She smiled.

********************

Six months and around 50 dates later, Jake and Amy once again lay nestled together on his couch. Shifting to face her, he spoke.

"Can I ask a stupid question?"

"Better than anyone I know," came her cheeky reply. She shifted her gaze to him, "what's up?"

"We've known each other so long, I mean... why didn't we just date _each other_ from the start?"

"Well I am at my dumbest when I'm with you babe,"

" _Ouch_ ,"

With her gaze turned back towards the screen, she didn't notice him pull the pillow out from under her until they were in the midst of a full fledged pillow fight. She turned around to a rather ungracious whack on the arm via cushion. 

"Hey! What was that for?!" 

Her silly boyfriend pouted at her like a little kid. "You hurt my feelings!" He whined, pretending to be upset in a bid to get her to play fight with him.

"Oh now I'm gonna do more than ' _hurt your feelings,'"_ she grinned wickedly before nailing him on the head with a pillow; effectively pushing them both off the couch and onto the floor, her head hovering inches above his own. She flashed him a disarming smile. He gave her a tiny kiss on the nose. Oh he could stay like this forever...

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the first piece of fanfiction I've ever written, and if you read it all the way through please know I adore you. When I asked some of my favourite writers for advice, the majority of them told me start by writing the most self indulgent thing I could think of, so that's exactly what I did. I filled up this story with all the fluff and cute tropes that I love; soft™️ and domestic™️peraltiago being my favourite. I hope you liked it and that I did these beautiful characters justice. Your feedback and constructive criticism would mean the world to me! You can reach me @/twobeautifulghosts on tumblr  
> \- S


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